The straight-to-series prison drama will move from Paramount Network, which originally developed the project, with Antoine Fuqua boarding as exec producer.
Jeremy Renner is heading to Paramount+.
The two-time Oscar nominee has been tapped to star in (and exec produce) Taylor Sheridan's series Mayor of Kingstown. The prison drama was originally picked up straight to series in January 2020 at Paramount Network and will now move to streamer Paramount+. Additionally, Antoine Fuqua has boarded the series as an exec producer. The news was announced Wednesday during the Paramount+ investor day presentation.
The casting and new home for the show comes ahead of the March rebranding of the service from CBS All Access to Paramount+, which will also be home to other original and library content from across the ViacomCBS portfolio. Sheridan will be a key driver of content to the platform, which will be home to a prequel of Paramount Network hit Kevin Costner drama Yellowstone as well as Mayor of Kingstown.
Sheridan recently inked a new nine-figure overall deal with ViacomCBS that sources say includes series additional projects for the streamer. (Yellowstone is currently streaming on Peacock as ViacomCBS looks to expand the audience for the series before bringing it home to Paramount+.
Mayor of Kingstown is the latest linear series to move to Paramount+ as ViacomCBS bolsters the platform with originals in a bid to draw subscribers. Michael Chiklis drama Coyote also made the move from Paramount Network (also being rebranded this year as a destination for new and acquired movies). The ViacomCBS-backed basic cable network previously sold Emily in Paris to Netflix after it moved to Paramount Network from corporate sibling TV Land.
Mayor of Kingstown follows the McLusky family — power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither. Renner will play the head of the McClusky family.
"I am excited to dig into the complex and rough-around-the-edges character of Mike McLusky (the Mayor of Kingstown),” Renner said. “In a world otherwise forgotten in society, Mike serves as a flawed system of checks and balances. Taylor has brought to life a layered and poignant universe that is not only incredibly intriguing but also more relevant than ever."
Sheridan and Hugh Dillon (Yellowstone) co-created the series and will exec produce alongside David Glasser and 101 Studios, Fuqua, Renner, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari and Michael Friedman. The series hails from MTV Studios, Sheridan's Bosque Ranch Productions and 101.
“When Taylor told me about Mayor of Kingstown, I immediately wanted to be a part of it,” Fuqua said. “The series offers a comprehensive look into the brutal prison system where sociopolitical issues run rampant. Prisons are a forgotten world to most of the population and yet represent a microcosm of society as a whole.”
For Renner, Mayor of Kingstown marks his second series for two different streamers. He also is set to reprise his role from the MCU in Disney+ series Hawkeye, which is due this year. Kingstown and Hawkeye are Renner's first series regular roles since he starred in Noah Hawley's short-lived 2009 ABC dramedy The Unusuals. His feature credits include The Hurt Locker, The Town, 28 Weeks Later, Arrival and multiple Marvel features. He's repped by CAA and Felker Toczek.
Paramount+ has a roster of scripted originals that include the Star Trek franchise, The Good Fight, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Stand, The Twilight Zone and updates of iCarly and Grease. With the move, Paramount Network's remaining scripted originals include Sheridan's Yellowstone and Jessica Chastain's George & Tammy, the latter of which will launch first on Spectrum.
A premiere date for Kingstown has not yet been determined.
Post a Comment